By Robyn Smith
It’s hot outside. Too hot. The cool breeze of the air conditioning makes spending all of your free time curled up in bed seem that much cozier. Laying under the covers, you constantly drift in and out of consciousness, surrounding yourself with bad TV and empty food wrappers whose contents you don’t remember eating.
Well, if the most complex skill you’ve used is the ability to nap, it’s time to get out of bed. Don’t let your mind go to waste this summer—take these classes and you could learn something totally new. Better yet, you could show off your newfound talent to your friends.
Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton
Your Artist Within
It’s common for many people to cloud their own creativity with self-doubt. Rather than block the creative flow, students can explore it instead with an eight-step program filled with different mental-muscle building activities designed to exercise the right side of the brain.
Start date: June 23
Time: Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Length: eight-week session
Price: $195
Cookology, Sterling
Culinary Boot Camp: Five Class Series
Both beginner and advanced chefs can learn the ins and outs of professional cooking with this intense series. Students will prepare several dishes throughout each class and can expect individual feedback from the chef as well as invaluable practice with gourmet recipes — risotto with mushrooms, anyone?
Start date: June 4
Time: Thursdays from 7-9 p.m.
Length: five-week session
Price: $325
Cheers Art Studio, Woodbridge
Walking in a field of flowers
Students learn how to pre-sketch and paint a beautiful woman walking through a large field in this class. Supplies are included with the price of any art class in this studio, and students get to take home whatever they have masterfully created.
Start date: June 12
Time: Friday from 7-9 p.m.
Length: one-day session
Price: $35
The Art League, Alexandria
Sumi-e: Oriental Brush Painting
If you’ve ever thought about exploring another culture through visual art, this may be your perfect opportunity. Sumi-e, an east Asian brush painting method, is team-taught to artists of all different levels.
Start date: July 7
Time: Tuesdays from 7-10 p.m.
Length: six-week session
Price: $150
The Art of Caricature
Master (or nearly master) the artistry behind hyper-portraiture in this wide-reaching class. By exaggerating the unique traits of different faces, students learn to bend the laws of natural anatomy with their pencils.
Start date: July 9
Time: Thursdays from 7-10 p.m.
Length: six-week session
Price: $155
